Touhou Flowers: Forget-Me-Not
by BloodySelene
Summary: Transcribed events from the group playing the tabletop rpg of the same name. A lost ghost and playful youkai become swept away in an ever growing adventure that will span the whole of Gensokyo. The two will need to learn to rely on one another, and come to trust each other completely if they are to succeed.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Light and Dark

Deep within the sealed away land of Gensokyo, where creatures of myth still walk the Earth and magic is alive and well, rests a large sea of trees. The Forest of Magic is a dark, foreboding place, where humans feared to wander. Deep within the forest, the sound of laughter radiated out into the imposing forest.

"Please," cried a voice from beneath the laughter, "give it back!" A young girl stood among the fallen leaves and undergrowth, fidgeting as she looked up to the small group of fairies that teased her. She wore a plaid skirt and a white shirt, covered by a brown vest. Her simple tennis-shoes were becoming scuffed and dirty, and a few leaves had become stuck in her short black hair.

"Come on and make us!" cried back one of the fairies. Each wore a simple outfit, a one-piece dress, and had short hair themselves. From their backs sprouted a pair of translucent wings, which fluttered whenever they adjusted their height. "Yeah," taunted a second, "come up and make us!"

The trio laughed as they tossed a small notebook between themselves, the metal binding catching in the few rays of sunlight. The girl on the ground hopelessly chasing after the book as the fairies threw it between one another.

The only warning the trio received was a small whine of power and the rustling of leaves as a beam of black energy erupted from the dark shadows of the forest. The fairy closest had just thrown the notebook, and began to turn too late. The beam hit dead on to her side, exploding as the fairy was thrown from the sky and blasted into the shadows of the forest.

"H-hey!" cried one of the remaining fairies, glaring into the smothering darkness around them. Their wings twitched as they flew together, hovering in one of the large sunbeams. "Show yourself!"

Another black shot fired from the shadows in reply, but this time the two were ready. Each dodged to the side, allowing the shot to pass harmless through them, detonating somewhere behind as the blast slammed into a tree. "Haha!" taunted one over her shoulder, watching the beam of energy sail harmlessly by, "you missed!"

Her expression went from boastful to horrified as a hand clamped down on the back of her head, a voice softly whispering into her ear. "My bad."

A new figure had burst from the shadows as soon as the fairy's attention shifted. The light revealed another young girl of a similar build to the one below. Her dress was a simple one-piece, and her long black hair was tied up on either side of her head in a lengthy ponytail. She had a pair of hiking boots over her feet that hung loosely in the air. Unlike the fairies, the new figure had no wings or other apparent way to fly, merely hovering behind the caught creature.

"Bet I won't miss this time," the girl whispered with a mocking laugh, a soft whining noise betraying the gathering of power in her hand. The fairy opened her mouth to respond, but her words were stolen by an explosion at the back of her head. "Now," said the newcomer, watching the fairy fall from the sky in the corner of her eye, "One little fairy, left all alone."

"W-w-wait!" The smaller creature quickly threw the stolen notebook down to the ground, sending the girl below scrambling to catch it. She quickly picked it up and retreated to the base of a tree, cradling her treasure in the shadows as she looked on. "There! I gave it back! Now let me go, please!"

"Hmmm..." The girl brought her palm to her chin, as if she was thinking of humoring the fairies request. "Nah," she replied, pulling her hand away, flashing a small piece of parchment as she smiled wickedly. "Naughty little fairies should be punished, don't you think?"

With a cry for help, the fairy turned and fluttered her wings, dashing through the air away from the challenger. The girl scowled and pocketed the paper once more. "You're no fun" she whispered. Instead, she brought her empty had up, spreading her fingers as a single dark orb appeared in front of her palm. The ball whined softly for a moment, before exploding outward in a black beam that struck the fleeing fair in the back.

She sighed as she dropped down, lightly touching the ground. Scanning the dark shadows, she found the victimized girl, still huddled against a thick tree. "You can come out, you know, they're gone now."

Slowly, she brought herself forwards, entering the sunlight to stand a short distance away from the new girl. From the light, she was able to see another sharp distinction between the two. While the cowering girl's eyes were dull almost to the point of grey, the newcomer's were a sharp shade of purple. "Who... who are you..?"

"I'm Kana. Kana Kuroko." The girl offered her hand, which only made the other retreat a step. "You're pretty deep in the forest for a human. You lost?"

"I... I'm Meiko..." replied the girl, answering the unspoken question. "And... what... what do you mean by 'human'? Aren't you one too?"

The only answer Meiko received was a burst of laughter as the other girl fell backwards, clutching her sides as she laughed. Instead of hitting the ground, Kana rotated in the air, curling up as if she were laying on a solid surface, hovering away from the forest floor. Finally, the girl managed to suppress her laughter as she looked back to Meiko, wiping away a tear as she stifled another giggle. "What, you've never seen a youkai before? How did you even get out here without knowing that?"

"I don't know..." came the meek reply, "I don't really remember much..."

Kana let out an irritated sigh as she looked the girl over, trying to figure out how a human could have gotten so far into the forest without knowing anything. There was something else bothering the youkai, a lack of presence from the girl. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Come on then, I'll take you out of the forest at least. Until you can see the village, if I'm feeling nice."

Meiko took a step back, cautiously eying the living myth in front of her. "You won't do anything, right? Like... eat me?"

Kana snorted and glared at the girl. "There isn't anyone around anymore. If I was going to kill you, I could have done it by now."

"But... what about the fairies? Aren't they... dead..?"

The youkai rolled her eyes, leaning back lazily in the air. "Oh please, they can take more punishment that that. I didn't even get to have any fun."

"And... promise not to... have 'fun' with me?"

Kana turned to face the girl, planting her feet back firmly on the ground. Her palm rose as her fingers spread, a dark ball of energy forming above her hand. The coalescing energy whined softly, generating power as the youkai walked closer to the girl.

Meiko froze in the face of the coming attack, and tensed up as her eyes shut tightly. She hoped it wouldn't be too painful. Instead of an explosion of power, the youkai brought up her free hand, flicking the girl's forehead with just enough power to push her head back and knock the girl over.

"You wouldn't be fun at all." Kana shook her head as the orb began to dissipate, drifting away into the darkness. "Now come on, before I leave myself."

"Wait!" Meiko cried, grabbing a hold of the girl's dress, her other hand rubbing the painful sting on her forehead. "I-I mean.. I'll go... with you..."

Kana kicked up, hovering just off the ground as she extended her hand. "Well come on then. If we hurry you'll make it before nightfall."

"You mean... fly?" The youkai nodded, tilting her head up. "I don't... I can't do that.." Meiko lowered her head, hiding her face from the girl above her.

"Ugh... Fine." The youkai touched down again, forcibly grabbing Meiko's hand as she started off into the forest, dragging the girl away from the large beams of sunlight and in to the darkness. "Forget what I said, we might make it tomorrow night. If we hurry."

"Sorry..."

"Forget it," came the slightly irritated reply, "it's fine. How did you even get all the way in here?"

"I don't... remember..." Meiko looked down to the notebook she was carrying, clutched tightly in her hands. The book was a dull brown, and the only defining characteristic was the girl's name written across the cover. "I think... I think I'm dead."

Kana stopped and turned back, eying the girl with incredulity. "You THINK you died? How does that even work?"

"I just... woke up here, in front of a grave... I can't really remember anything..."  
"That's not-"  
"There's... also this..." The girl pulled her hand away, placing it softly against a nearby tree trunk. With a gentle push, her hand sunk into the bark, phasing through the solid material.

"Why didn't you say that in the first place?!" The youkai shivered as she bit her lip, trying to reign in another burst of laughter. A maybe-ghost lost amongst the forest. "Well, come on." Her hand extended back, waiting for Meiko to stop phasing through a tree, "maybe someone at the village knows who you are. Were. Whatever."

Meiko nodded obediently, pulling her hand back to grasp the youkai's as the started back through the dense woods. "Do you live out here, Kana?"

"Yeah, a lot of us do. Or at least stop by from time to time. It's a nice place, don't have to worry about the sun stinging my eyes."

"Oh..." The ghost sounded dejected, which only prompted another sigh from the youkai.

"We'll be out by noon, you'll see the stupid thing then." Kana kicked a fallen branch from their path, grumbling to herself as she led the ghost along. "Moonlight is so much nicer."

The duo wondered through the forest in silence for awhile, every now and again the silence would be punctured by a shot of magic or a short detour around fallen obstacles in their path. The forest was almost completely shrouded in darkness when the youkai suddenly stopped at a small clearing between the trees. "Do ghosts sleep?"

Meiko blinked in confusion as she looked around, confused by what prompted the question. "I... I don't know about ghosts, but I can..."

The youkai nodded, letting go of Meiko's hand as she began to roam the small clearing, kicking up leaves into a pile at the base of a tree. "Well, you might as well if you can. It'll be night soon, the forest is that much darker."

"Do... do things come out at night?"

"Well duh, of course they do."

"Like... like what?" Meiko's head turned, scanning the darkness as she scooted closer to the youkai, as if she were afraid the forest itself was going to swallow her. Kana wasn't about to inform her that it had tried more than once.

"Like me. And no, we aren't all nice."

"O-oh..." Meiko offered a nervous laugh as she stepped closer, placing her hand on the tree trunk. "I'm kind of tired... thinking about it... what about you?"

Kana nodded, raising her arms above her head as she stretched. "Stupid fairies woke up early anyways. At least they were a bit amusing, but I would have rather slept."

"W-we're not going to share a... bed... are we?"

Kana laughed as she kicked off the ground, hovering inches away. "Never liked sleeping on the ground. You can have that, I'll nap in the branches." The youkai turned her head back down, snickering as she spoke, "Plenty of open spaces, if you'd rather join me up here."

Meiko shook her head, staggering a step as her eyes followed the thick trunk all the way to its upper branches. "I... I think I'll be... fine... down here..."

The youkai laughed, slowly ascending until she reached the lowest branch, perching herself. "I'll be right here, in case any more of the evil fairies come to take you away."

Despite her mocking tone, Meiko found it reassuring the other girl was watching over her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the ghost knew the absurdity of a monster playing guardian, but found herself too exhausted by the day to care. The last thing she heard was a soft voice from above.

"Sleep tight, little ghost."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

Cold Reception

Meiko squirmed in her pile of leaves, a single bright beam of sunlight striking her face. Slowly waking up, the ghost groaned as she pulled herself up, hands rubbing into her eyes as she moved away from the sunbeam, slowly glancing around the small clearing.

"Looking for someone?"

Meiko shrieked as a voice called out from behind her, tripping as she scrambled to turn around. Behind her stood Kana, an incredibly amused expression played across the youkai's face as she tried to prevent a laugh.

"I think you might be the worst ghost I've ever heard of." The youkai bent over, offering her hand to the collapsed girl. "Come on," she sighed as she grabbed Meiko's hand, pulling the girl back to her feet, "let's get out of here."

"Alright..." A quick glance over her shoulder to the meager sunlight spilling into the forest caught the ghost's attention. "How did that happen?"  
"Hm?" Kana turned, trailing Meiko's sight until she saw the sunbeam. "Oh, I did that. Figured you'd like to see some."

A small, distinct whine alerted the ghost that Kana's power was charging, and she turned just in time to see a black orb discharge into the canopy above them. Shattered branches and separated leaves fell from the orb's wake, as another beam of sunlight breached the forest and spilled down into the darkness below. "See? Not a problem. Now let's get out of here, unless you'd like to wait around and see what shows up to the firework show."

Meiko leaped up, grabbing hold of the youkai's hand, imploring her to take the lead. Kana merely laughed as she started away, pulling on the ghost's hand and leading her into the darkness of the forest. Meiko looked back one last time to the sunlight, to remind herself of what was to come, when the sight caused her to tighten her grip on Kana's arm. The first beam was nearly gone, and the second was slowly closing in size. The darkness of the forest would reclaim anything lost.

The pair traveled on in relative silence, a shot of magic or swift kick of fallen branches marking their trail through the woods. Meiko often looked around, unnerved by the silence that had fallen on the pair. Something else had to live in the woods, and the unrelenting tension of what was around them but not seen began to gnaw on her mind.

"Hey, ghost. Look ahead."

Meiko's head shot back to the front, biting her lip as she held back another cry of surprise at the youkai's sudden words. She was about to ask why Kana had called out to her so suddenly when she saw what was ahead. Sunlight, filtering in through the canopy just up ahead. The exit from the foreboding sea of trees was just a short distance away.

"Let's go!" cried Meiko, running ahead and pulling at the youkai's hard. True daylight revitalized her hopes and presented a way out from the oppressive shadows, and for the first time the ghost's lips spread in a wide smile.

Kana let go of the other girl's hand, slowing to a stroll as Meiko darted off ahead of her. The youkai let out a long sigh, bringing her hand up to press against her temples. "No point stalling forever." She sighed once more, trudging her way out of the comforting darkness and into the bright day, wincing as the sunlight stung her eyes.

"Hurry up!" Meiko beckoned the youkai over to her, having finally broken from the grasp of the Forest of Magic. A large lake sat near the pair, bright blue water shimmering in the light. Beyond its shore rested a large mansion, which had a curious lack of activity for such a large house in the middle of the day.

"Are you alright?" Finally the ghost noticed her companions discomfort, as Kana wiped away beading moisture from her eyes with a scowl.

"I'm fine. It just... stings." The youkai pressed her palms against her eyes, rubbing slowly in some attempt to soothe the sun's slow burn against her body. Before she could speak again, a voice rang out loudly from above the lake, the speaker's tone full of confidence.

"Hey, You two! I'm looking for someone roughing up my fellow fairies! Tell me who did it and I might let you go!"

Both girls turned to the source of the call. Above the lake hovered another girl, smaller and attired in a blue and white one-piece. Her hair and eyes matched a light blue, but unlike the fairies from before, the new fairy had three sets of wings that appeared to be made from ice.

"Shouldn't you introduce yourself before barking orders, Ms. Boss-Fairy?" Kana's lips curled into a mischievous grin as her posture shifted and she waved a hand dismissively, "Or are you all bark and no bite?"

The fairy fumed as her arms shook with anger. "I'm Cirno! Cirno! The bossest- strongest! The strongest fairy! Now tell me who messed with my friends!"

"W-we don't know..." Meiko called as loudly as she could muster, trying her best to placate the fairy and have her leave. "M-maybe... they're still-"

"I did."

Meiko squealed in disbelief at the youkai's flat admission to having blasted the fairies around. "W-what are you doing!?"

"Having fun. I have some frustration to work out, too." The youkai offered a wink as she kicked off hard, dirt blowing back as Kana closed some of the distance to the new fairy. "So, Cirno the bossest, what are you going to do?"

"I said the strongest you idiot!" Cirno was fuming even more the closer Kana got, stomping her feet on the non-existent earth. "And I'm going to beat you up!" The youkai caught a flash of parchment and blue before the fairy's next words rang out with magical power, "**Icicle Fall!**"

Kana laughed to herself as large icicles began to form around the flying pair, the fairy's incantation building in strength. "Finally a proper duel!" The first of the icy spears flew out as the youkai finished speaking, slowly traveling on an arc inwards to the girl.

The icicles themselves were large, almost as tall as her, but traveled slowly. There was a clear path to simply fly forwards ahead of the intersecting points, but Kana wouldn't allow her fun to be spoiled so soon.

Flying straight into the storm, she grazed past each spear of ice that came her way. Each tip coming tantalizing close to connecting before the youkai would shift or pivot away, each near hit only adding to the fairy's frustration. Materializing a new spear, Cirno careful tossed the icicle, slowly directing it to the youkai's side.

Down below on the ground, Meiko cried out a warning just as Kana turned in time to see the spear nearly impact. The collision knocked her backwards, traveling a short distance as Cirno threw her arms up in victory.

"Just teasin'." The youkai continued to pivot as she kicked the spear, sending it lazily spiraling to the ground. Instead of impacting, she had twisted and fallen backwards enough to appear hit. Kana turned to face Cirno again, without reorienting herself to the ground. The youkai's long hair fell down towards the earth, though her dress managed to stay inexplicably right and up without falling. "You call that a spell card? I could dodge this in my sleep!"

Cirno teeth ground as she stomped her feet once more, fuming in the air. "Don't- Don't mock me! I'll beat you up! **Diamond Blizzard!**"

The fairy's second incantation was far more impressive. Ice crystals began to form by the dozens, rocketing off on random trajectories as even more formed behind the first waves. Cirno planned to simply bury the youkai in a storm of ice and magic.

Kana offered a shrug at the spell, inwardly admiring the simplicity, even if Cirno wasn't even bothering to aim anymore. The storm of ice swept past the youkai, bullets of ice slicing by quickly.

Few managed to graze the youkai's form, a small hole punched on her dress, nicks of flayed cloth or drew droplets of blood from scratches, but her frantic dodging kept Kana safe from any direct hits. Most shards came from the front, and Kana focused all of her attention on surviving the hailstorm by looking straight into it.

The blizzard reached its peak intensity, forcing the youkai into more unusual dodges. Kana had to rotate, juke left and cut her ability to fly for quick drops of altitude and reorient herself to the ground. Within seconds, the intensity started to wane, the brunt fury of the spell card spent. Shards came in fewer numbers, gaps widening more to allow easier passage. The youkai had weathered the storm without major problems, and without firing a shot. "Got it now."

"Just stand still!" Cirno sounded irritated that her spell hadn't won the duel, but she couldn't hide her minimal joy at the youkai's more ragged appearance. She looked to add more, but the youkai quickly cut her off. It wasn't a proper duel until both had a shot at the other.

"Oh? Stand still? I guess that means it's my turn." A piece of parchment flashed in the youkai's hand. Kana looked to it affectionately, following the black ink along its surface as she raised the card, invoking its stored power. "**Falling Twilight.**"

Parchment faded as power coalesced around the youkai, a large, dull golden orb forming behind her. The orb continued to grow with every second, until the invocation was complete and at its full size. From below on the ground, Meiko stared up into two suns hanging in the day sky.

Kana smiled as her hand raised, whispering a single word to begin her counter-attack. "Go." At her command, the spell began to move. The bottom of her sun became black, falling off and lazily trailing after the fairy. Another orb turned black and dropped, followed by another. The truth of the spell wasn't creation of one large orb, but every bullet of the whole attack packed tightly to give the appearance of a setting sun.

"Spell cards are about show as much as power, you know?" The youkai chided as orbs continued to turn black and fall, each one spiraling away towards their target. A fourth of the way through the sun and there was nothing but a constant stream of magical bullets flying towards the fairy.

Cirno dodged orbs as the spell continued, glaring up at the setting sun. Bullets streamed out in lazily spiraling patterns, preventing an easy dodge. She focused on beating the arrogant challenger, and brought all her attention to dodging through the spell. Quick and simple maneuvers brought the fairy through the beginning of the card, quickly moving to the right or left of any shot that would have scored a direct hit.

Halfway through, the full spell began to flare up. Darkness swallowed the sun quicker, a second tendril forming over the first wave of spells. The second wave flared out to the side, wide enough to cleanly miss from their opening trajectory, and Cirno paid the shots no further mind. Far out to either side, they began to slow and arc, closing in a slow pinch.

Despite the slow speed, the first orb of the second wave nearly caught Cirno from the side. She quickly shifted her attention, swinging to the side as more of the shots closed in. Her mouth opened to taunt as she looked over the slow-moving magic, easily dodging the next shot. Her amusement and victory were stolen when a bullet from the quicker first wave slammed into her shoulder, knocking the fairy backwards.

Kana sighed as her head shook in disappointment. The second wave was a slow-moving feint, and supposed to put some pressure on the target to draw _some_ attention. The fairy turned and fully ignored the entire first half of the spell that was still sending out waves of quicker shots. Disoriented and knocked back, more of the fast moving orbs hit the fairy, blunt force knocking her further and further back, until she dropped from the sky and fell into the clear lake as the sun finally set, the spell played out and completed.

Bringing herself back to the ground, Kana landed lightly next to Meiko, breathing roughly as the exertion of the spell caught up with her. The spell had used up significantly more power than Kana would have usually spent, and was probably the only shot she had. While spell card duels were the height of entertainment, the youkai had no desire to remain above in the sunlight, having it sting her eyes and beating down on her back. She smiled softly, thinking of her spell card and wishing she could make the real sun set on demand.

"Th... that was amazing!" Meiko bounced up, grabbing the youkai's shoulders and giving an excited shake. "I've.. I've never seen anything like that!"

"Alright, alright, I get it." Kana pulled the girl's hands away from her shoulders, becoming dizzy from the excitable shaking, "First duel you've seen, I take it?" The youkai smiled as her hand rubbed against Meiko's head, "There will be more to see. These things happen all over the place."

Meiko's eyes seemed to glow with excitement as she opened her mouth to speak, but her enthusiasm stolen as a familiar voice called out in anger.

"I won't forget this!" Cirno reappeared above the pair, her dress clinging heavily and spilling water. "I'll teach you to beat up on fairies!"

"Oh, take another bath." Kana's eyes rolled, her hand coming up as another orb quickly formed. She was too exhausted to invoke another spell card, but a simple blast of magic was still open to her. "And just admit when you've lost too!"

Black magic fired from her palm, striking the fairy as Cirno turned to run, a small explosion in her wake. This fairy was sturdier than the ones before, as Cirno continued to flee from the attack, though the blast knocked something small and glistening from her pocket.

Kana followed its fall with her eyes, trying to see against the glare reflecting from the item. As it fell, the shape finally revealed itself as a small silver key. Kana was beginning to turn back to Meiko when the key stopped at eye level merely a few feet away, perfectly standing straight up.

"What..." Taking a step closer, Kana tilted her head in confusion as she looked at the key, puzzled as she tried to figure out what stopped its fall.

"What is it, Kana?"

"Probably nothing, just weird." She turned and started away when a creeping sensation hit the youkai's senses. Something half forgotten, a sensation of subtle power building that she couldn't remember. Her gaze shifted back to the key, and the memory of the sensation slammed into her.

Dimensional Shifting.

"Meiko!" Kana turned in a panic, reaching for the ghost's hand, worry displayed on her face, "grab my-"

Her words cut short as a white flash exploded from the key, both girls and the key gone from sight, caught in the bright explosion of light. Once the light dissipated, a bright day shined in Gensokyo, neither ghost or youkai seen anywhere around.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

Breach

"-hand!" Both girls landed in a crash, groaning as they crawled to their feet.

Wherever they had cashed would not reveal itself easily. The room was large, shrouded in thick darkness. What little ambient light that existed revealed shattered pillars and scattered debris around the room. The youkai smiled, stretching her arms. The dark was a welcome comfort from the relentless sunlight.

"K-Kana..? Kana, where are you?"

"Behind you." Kana sighed in irritation, her voice met with another shriek. The youkai didn't even need to turn around and look to know Meiko had tripped over herself again. "Aren't you _dead?_ How are you afraid of the dark?"

"I don't... I don't know.." Meiko stumbled her way towards the youkai, sliding her hands across the ground in front of her to avoid tripping. Kana rolled her eyes as she strolled across the darkness, meeting the other girl half way. "T-thanks..." Meiko breathed a sigh of relief as Kana pulled the girl to her feet, relieved that she could see her peculiar guardian.

She smiled warmly, giving the youkai's hand a squeeze. "You're so amazing... it's hard to think you aren't human..."

Kana turned sharply to meet Meiko's eyes, glaring coldly at the ghost. Meiko moved to speak, but stepped back in freight as the cloying darkness of the room rushed up, enveloping the girl before her. Within seconds, the youkai was simply gone, swallowed up by the darkness.

Meiko was about to call out once more, her voice dying in her throat as a pair of hands slid around her neck, squeezing firmly. From behind, Kana's voice drifted into the ghost's ear, cold and sharp. "I am _not_ human. I could snap your neck like a twig," the youkai's grip tightened in response, feeling the ghost writhe under her presence, "rip you apart with my bare hands. I could kill on a whim with my magic. _All_ of us can."

Meiko stiffened, fear freezing her body in place. The youkai held her grip, not letting a bit of slack as she continued, "Don't trust appearances if you want to live long in a world where monsters still roam. The most dangerous one, after all, is the wolf in sheep's clothing."

Kana released her grip, and Meiko fell to the ground like a puppet who's strings had been cut. The youkai walked back in front of the collapsed girl, offering her hand to help her back up. Meiko trembled as she looked up to the youkai's form, eyes watering as she took Kana's hand.

The youkai sighed as she took Meiko's hand, pulling the girl up and leading her through the dark towards the first door Kana had spotted when the pair had crash landed in the strange room.

"K-Kana..." She stopped, turning to look back the ghost, tilting her head as she waited for the rest. "Um... t-t-thanks.. for... for the warning." Kana nodded her head, starting to explore before being stopped by Meiko's hand pulling back against her hand. "but... I know... I know you wouldn't do that... I... I trust you..."

Kana scowled, opening her mouth to berate the ghost for missing the point of her warning. No matter how she tried, the words just wouldn't come to her, and the youkai merely stood stammering for a moment.

Irritation exuded from the youkai, her free hand rubbing against her temples. Silence reigned between the two for a long time before the youkai finally collected her thoughts and spoke again. "Fine. If you're going to play the fool, the least you could do is have a way to defend yourself. Want to learn danmaku?"

"Danma... what?"

"This... this is going to take a while, isn't it?" Kana sighed as she palmed a small piece of parchment, flowing with black ink. The catalyst for her spell, the core of the new system that had infiltrated the magic of Gensokyo recently. "Danmaku. Spell card duels. You just saw one between me and the fairy."

Meiko gasped, clamping her hand down on the youkai's, excitedly shaking the girl's arm. "R-really?! You can teach me that?"

Kana looked over the ghost with a confused look. Not even a minute ago she was terrified, now the youkai was afraid she'd be on the receiving end of a tackle and a hug. "Yes, yes, it isn't hard. We can start when we get out of here."

Meiko beamed a bright smile, and Kana thought it might be the first time she'd seen the girl genuinely smile since they met. The youkai rolled her eyes as she pulled at the girl's hand, leading her into the dark tunnel.

The pair traveled slowly through the winding corridor, occasionally stopping to test one of the few side doors. So far none of them had opened, though one had cracked enough for the youkai to see fallen debris keeping the door shut.

"Hey... Kana..?"

Kana grunted as she kicked a door, getting it to move slightly. The youkai gripped the jarred door in her hands, struggling as her small frame began to wrest the door open against its broken and rusted hinges.

"I... just wondering... do you know where we are..?" Meiko stepped back as she watched the small girl slowly tearing her way through the rooted door, shivering lightly as her words came back to the ghost. Kana really wasn't human.

"Wasn't a teleport. I think." The youkai stopped, staring at the door as she thought for a moment before returning to her work. "Probably. More like... shifting a bit."

"Um..." Meiko blinked in complete ignorance, fidgeting with her vest. "C... could you... repeat that?"

Kana sighed as her foot connected with the door, shaking the frame with a harsh kick. "We moved, but we didn't. We're still in Gensokyo... in a way." The youkai turned back to look at Meiko, struggling to come up with an appropriate picture. "Think of it like... like... the forest. You're on a path, and step sideways to another path. Same place, just a little different from where you were. Get it?"

Meiko stared ahead, fidgeting at the youkai's obtuse example. "Uh... um... yes?"

"It's like Gensokyo and Japan." Kana grunted her explanation, continuously kicking the door in front of her, every impact knocking it slightly backwards. "Gensokyo is in Japan, but not. Same space," the youkai yelled out as she foot slammed into the door, finally knocking the wedged mass into the room, "Different place."

Kana stepped into the room, eyes darting around in the low light as she searched for clues. A small desk and bed occupied one corner of the room. Another had held a bookcase, but part of the ceiling had given way, crushing and tearing most of the books.

"Did you... find anything?"

"No, not really." One more small object stood out in the sparsely furnished room. A single folder sat on the desk, empty of any content. Across the surface was the simple phrase "Containment."

"Contain what..." Kana shook her head, stepping back out into the hallway. "Come on, there's nothing useful here. Let's keep searching." The youkai quickly led Meiko away from the room, not wanting to frighten the girl with the implications the folder presented.

Both girls traveled in silence through the rest of the compound, the previous side door being the last one in the long corridor. After a long walk in the silence and clinging darkness, the corridor ended in a thick metal door, barely hanging in its frame. "Well this one will be easy at least."

With a heavy shove, the door broke free from its remaining hold, slamming into the ground with a loud crash. "Well then, let's see what's beyond the door."

Kana and Meiko stepped over the door, slowly walking into the room beyond. All that awaited them was a long bridge over the darkness. Nothing else could be seen, even by the youkai's keen low-light vision. The pair advanced slowly until the half-way point, when the room suddenly sprang to life around them. Light flooded from the walls, banishing the darkness and revealing the room to be almost empty, with no characteristics beyond the bridge and a few talismans pressed against the walls around them.

_"Unidentified life detected."_

A voice chimed in that seemed to come from everywhere at once, the two looking over the room as they tried to find the source. "W-whats going on? K-Kana?"

"If I knew I'd tell you!"

_"Defense activated."_

Around the room, sheets of the wall fell away, revealing small cubbyholes. Smaller machines, the sort of technology the kappa enjoy playing with, but glowing with an unmistakable mark of magic, began to filter out, whirling softly as their wings spun, granting flight to the machines. Kana opened her mouth to speak when the machines started to fire, magically augmented rounds pinging off the solid railing.

"Down!" Kana leaped to Meiko, pushing the ghost down forcibly behind the cover of the railing, bullets pinging off the old metal.

"W-whats going on..." Meiko sniffled, on the verge of tears. The youkai's mind raced, trying to come up with a plan of escape. Her magic was still drained from the battle before, and wouldn't be at top condition. There was, however, a way around that.

"Nothing like a field test..."

Kana shoved her companion away, lifting off the bridge as a bright shimmer of red encased the youkai. She cried out loudly in pain, doubling over as she clutched her stomach, shaking from the pain. Shadows coalesced around her as power built up, and the flying machines pausing their attack, analyzing the unrecorded show of magic.

Darkness exploded from the hovering youkai, a wall of pure black racing out from her body. Below her, Meiko instinctively scampered away from the approaching wall, too slowly. Darkness washed over her, and for a second the world was gone. Nothing but an empty void, sight stolen away by the supernatural wave. As quickly as it had come, the black wave passed, light returned to the ghost's eyes and she looked up.

A hailstorm of magic awaited her, the youkai at its heart. Bullets of pure magic swarmed around the youkai, battering aside the flying machines, crushing them in its assault. The spell fired too fast for precision control, but the youkai didn't need it.

In the machines attempt to avoid the encroaching wave of darkness, they missed the creation and expansion of the spell hidden behind the black wall and were swept aside in the resulting storm.

Sure that the spell had taken the machines by surprise and crushed their attackers, Kana released control of the spell. No longer bound by the youkai's will, the orbs rocketed off on whatever trajectory they had, slamming into the walls around them. Sheets of the wall crumpled under the force of impact, talismans crushed or scraped away as the orbs assaulted the walls of the room.

Kana dropped roughly to the platform, panting heavily as she held her stomach, the pain not quite gone. "What... a rush..." The youkai trembled as she looked around at the impact marks on the room, taking mental note of the power her invocation had. "Too much for fine control..." She smiled wildly, slowly getting back to her feet, her gaze drifting back to the ghost on the bridge, "but oh so very fun..."

"Kana!" Meiko rushed to her friend, grabbing on to the youkai tightly. "W-where.. where are you hit? Are you okay? W-where... wheres a hospital?"

The youkai scowled as she brought her hands away from her stomach, revealing the smooth cloth of her dress, suppressing a wince. "I'm fine... see? Not a mark on me." Her spell wasn't quite ready to show off yet, and she wanted to save it for the moment with maximum impact. "Just... just a nasty stomach cramp. It happens sometimes, you know?"

Meiko's faced turned a slight shade of red, fidgeting as she mumbled. "Y-yeah... It's annoying... I... I didn't know youkai had a p... per... peri..."

The youkai turned to Meiko, her face quickly going from confusion to irritation with realization. "Meiko?"

"Y... yes..?"

"I'm going to punch you."

Meiko turned away as she laughed nervously, fidgeting with her vest, trying her best to drop the topic. "S-so... h-how do we g-get out?"

Kana shrugged, even though Meiko had turned away by that point. "Poke around until we find it."

_"Seal... breached."_

Both girls spun, scanning the room for another attack, the voice ringing out clearly again. Meiko hid her face in her hands, crouching for protection. Kana palmed another card, biting her lip in desperation. Things would be bad in another duel, and the youkai had no desire to continue testing unrefined spells.

_"Emergency evacuation: initiated."_

Again, the youkai felt the subtle change before the spell had time to go off. They were being shifted again. Kana rushed to grab Meiko's hand, squeezing tightly as power tinged the air around the two. "Don't let go! Meiko, don't let-!" White light blossomed out, enveloping the two girls instantly, cutting the rest of the youkai's words.

The white light dissipated, and the two were nowhere to be found in the underground complex. Below the bridge, the untouched talismans began to smoke and burn. The seal was breached.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

Promises

Kana and Meiko crashed roughly into the ground, spraying water and mud around them from the impact. Rain poured down heavily, the world around them pitch black. Lightning briefly lit the sky enough to show they'd managed to land beyond the wall of the mansion across the lake.

"Where to next!?" Kana shouted indignantly, spitting to clear splashed up mud from her mouth. "Why not just boot us out of Gensokyo!"

No answer came beyond the howl of wind and rain, and the sharp clash of thunder as the sky briefly lit up once more. Kana spat again, turning to look at the mansion behind the pair.

"Where... where are we now...?" Meiko mumbled as she climbed back to her feet. The ghost held her arms out, distraught at her soaked and stained outfit clear across her face. "What are we going to do..?"

Kana knocked against the wall under one of the few windows at ground level, nodding her head at the mansion. "Well we can either sit out here in the rain for the rest of the night, or we can sneak in and dry out until the rain stops. Your call."

Meiko fidgeted as she looked at the pried open window, slowly stepping closer. "S-shouldn't we... go to the front door? Or something... we shouldn't just break in..."

"Meiko, what kind of idiot is going to open their door, at night, and let _a ghost and youkai_ into their house?" The youkai shook her head, rubbing her temples in irritation. "We're not breaking in to steal stuff, but I'd like to dry off and cool down from the random nonsense of today, alright?"

"B-but... what if it's... a youkai's house... or something like that.." The smaller girl inched her way closer to the youkai's position. She was eager to escape the rain, but still afraid of stumbling into a monster's lair.

"Okay, Meiko. What kind of youkai lives in a huge _mansion? _Have you ever heard of such a thing?"

The only response Kana received was a slow shake of Meiko's head, her hands slowly reaching up to grab the window sill.

"Neither have I, _and I am one_. Get in the house."

Without waiting for another complaint, Kana grabbed the ghost by her skirt, hefting the girl up over the wall and tossing her into the darkened room. The youkai offered a quick last glance to the interior grounds of the mansion before levitating herself up, sliding through the open space and slowly closing the window behind her.

Meiko squealed as she hit the floor roughly, rolling away from the rain coming in from the window. Kana landed lightly on her feet, shutting the window behind her quickly. The room wasn't particularly furnished, merely a large dresser and a small bed on one side. A small desk sat opposite, with an unlit candle as the room's light source.

While Meiko clambered around in the dark, the youkai moved over to the desk, scrounging around its drawers until she found a match to light the candle. With the room faintly illuminated, the ghost finally stopped crawling around, instead settling on the bed.

"N-now what...?"

Kana started to pace around the room, looking to her companion with a confused expression. "What do you mean 'now'? We wait for the rain to stop and then leave. Preferably without being seen. We weren't exactly invited in."

The large dresser by Meiko's side caught the youkai's attention, pacing her way over as she opened the thick wooden drawers. "Unless... ha!" Kana turned to face Meiko, holding up a simple maid uniform. The outfit was a black long-sleeved blouse ending in a white cuffs, and matching thigh-length black skirt and white petticoat. "Little short for my liking, but what do you say?"

"What to say... about what..?"

The youkai groaned, throwing the clothes she had picked onto the bed next to Meiko. "What about going out for a quick look? We get to change into something clean for the night, and take a look around at the inside."

Meiko's gaze drifted to the small pile of clothes next to her, hesitant about picking them up. "I thought... we weren't going to take anything..."

Kana's posture slouched with exasperation, fishing out her own set of clothing from the dresser. "We aren't running off with them. Unless you'd rather spend the night in a mud-caked outfit. Knock yourself out then." She nodded in contentment as her own uniform piled up behind her, simply tossing out the clothes she found to the floor. "But, if I had to say, they probably wouldn't notice an apple or two that has gone missing, you know?"

Her expression drifted from a mischievous smile to a frown as the youkai turned, the clothing still sitting untouched next to Meiko. "Really?" Kana sighed, trying her best to manage her annoyance. "Guess we sit here for a few hours."

"N-no!" Meiko leaped up from the bed, bringing her hands up in a placating move for the irritable youkai. "I... I think it might be... interesting... j-just... that's.. a l-little..."

"What is a little? Speak up, Meiko, I'm not a mind-reader."

"A... a little..." Meiko began to fidget, turning away from the youkai and pulling at her dirtied vest, "e-embarrassing... to c-change in... in front of you..."

The youkai groaned, pacing back to the other side of the room. "Fine, just hurry, alright?" With a shake of her head, the youkai kicked back. Instead of falling, her body hung suspended in the air, as if she were reclining on the bed. "Just tell me when you're done, okay?"

Meiko nodded her compliance, even though the youkai had turned away. The ghost's face developed a light shade of red as she undressed, her eyes never leaving the youkai's back. She quickly donned her maid outfit, mostly unable to stand being nearly naked in the room with someone she had only recently met.

"D-d-done..." Meiko stammered as her hands gripped the hem of her skirt, pulling down on the cloth. "T-this is... k-kinda short... isn't it?"

The youkai bit her lip as she rolled over in the air, looking at the fidgeting girl. "L-looks fine..." She snickered, suppressing most of her laughter, at the sight of the ghost. It was an oddly fitting look for the girl. "You should come back for a job if the village doesn't work. You'd fit right in."

Meiko huffed her displeasure at being mocked, biting her cheek as she slowly slide to the side, refusing to walk in fear of her short skirt. "F-fine... m-miss bossy... l-lets see how you look then."

Kana shrugged, touching down against the floor once more as she paced over to collect her uniform from the floor. The youkai glanced back as she bent over to retrieve her clothing, noticing the ghost staring at her. With a smile, the youkai snapped her fingers and disappeared from Meiko's sight, her form hidden behind a wall of darkness.

"C-c-cheater!"

The youkai laughed as she leisurely changed, knowing her companion would be too hesitant to approach her barrier, let alone try to go through it. Kana shook her head, adjusting her skirt and blouse. "Not like you could even touch it..." The youkai sighed as she straightened, dismissing her ephemeral wall with a gesture. "Well?" she prompted, opening her arms to pose with her new uniform, "how do I look?"

Meiko looked over the youkai, biting her tongue as she took in the sight. The girl looked physically alright, but the image didn't sit with the ghost. The youkai was too assertive to complement the uniform. Meiko couldn't decide if she wanted to say the truth or try to placate her companion's mood once more, inwardly debating the best choice.

"So stunning you can't even speak, hm?"

"Y-yeah... s-stunning..." Meiko's hands returned to the hem of her skirt, fidgeting and hoping the youkai wouldn't notice the half-hearted compliment.

Kana rolled her eyes, opening the door as she turned to face the ghost. "Well, nothing left but to do it. C'mon Meiko."

The pair proceeded out from the room, Kana shutting the door softly behind them. Outside the storm still raged, its sounds muffled by the walls of the mansion. The hallway split two ways from the corner room, and was softly lit by evenly spaced lights along the wall. The youkai tiled her head at how few windows along either hallway before shaking her head in dismissal. "Pfff, human fashion. Come on Meiko."

The ghost nodded her head, accepting the youkai's hand as they started down the left turn away from their room. "W-who do you think lives here..?"

Kana shrugged as she walked, pulling the girl along behind her. Something was nagging the youkai's senses, a small irritation in the back of her mind. "Who knows. Some megalomaniac if they're trying to impress _monsters_ of all things."

"W-what makes you say that..?" Meiko shuddered at the thought of monsters, oblivious to the fact one had her hand. The girl glanced around herself continuously as they walked, eyeing every door they passed in case something unpleasant jumped out at them.

"Kind of far out to be impressing anyone at the village." Kana stopped, biting the tip of her thumb in thought before adding, "Unless they throw parties. And in that case the kitchen would be super stocked anyways."

"I-I guess..." Meiko sighed as they started of again, passing more sets of rooms, slowly traveling through the darkened hallways of the mansion.

Paintings, stands, and split hallways rarely marked their progress, but neither girl felt like they had made much in the way of progress. Hallways seemed to continue and often split, and the pair had yet to come across a notable room or foyer. Kana shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, mumbling quietly. "Was it always this big, or am I just getting tired?"

Meiko opened her mouth to reply, when the youkai's finger pressed firmly against her lips. The ghost paused, silently waiting. Without warning, Kana turned, pulling Meiko roughly into a side passage. She squealed as the youkai pressed her against the wall, tightly pressing herself against the ghost.

"Shhh!" Kana hissed in the girl's ear, closing her eyes to focus. Around them the light began to fade, obscuring the hallway to Meiko's vision, becoming a dull blur.

Meiko began to squirm, about to try and speak as a soft sound echoed down the hallway they had been in. Footsteps echoed, slowly drawing closer, every step causing the ghost to tremble, forcing her to fight her own instincts to run or cry out.

Slowly they came and passed, traveling beyond the hall the pair had taken refuge in. Kana sighed in relief, letting go of the girl she'd pushed against wall. Meiko collapsed without her support, turning to climb back to her feet when she noticed what the youkai had done. Kana had encased them in just enough darkness to be little more than an ill-defined shadow among the dark corridor.

Meiko let out her own sigh, climbing up slowly. "That was close..."

"I think we'd better return to our room before anyone notices."

The ghost nodded her agreement as Kana grabbed her hand, returning to the hallway quickly.

The two had barely taken a step out when another pair stepped forward, stopping to take in the ghost and youkai. While they had the same outfit and similar build, their backs had the tell-tale translucent wings of a fairy.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?"

Kana was scarcely able to get her hand around Meiko's mouth, clamping down before the ghost could scream. "A-ahaha... don't mind her, she's just a scardey-cat." The youkai offered a nervous laugh, taking a step back from the pair, her mind reeling at the situation. "W-we were just... on our way to the kitchen for... you know."

One of the fairy maids laughed, waving her hand. "Just don't get caught. The Head Maid can be scary if she notices you taking a snack!"

The second nodded, placing her fist against her hand when an idea came to mind. "Ah, if you're going there anyways, would you take Lady Patchouli her tea to the library?"

The youkai nodded her head quickly, forcing Meiko into a light bow as she took another step back. "W-will do. See you around, alright?"

"Wait!" The first maid called out just before the pair could make their escape, taking a step forward to close the distance, tilting her head and scrutinizing the pair. "You don't look familiar..."

Kana swallowed as she palmed a spell card, hiding the parchment in her hand. If it came to blows, the youkai would need to hit fast, and hope her magic had recovered enough in the comforting embrace of the dark to not exhaust herself.

"You're new right? Do you remember how to find it?"

Kana let out the breath she had held, shaking her head with another nervous laugh. "N-no, this place is so big, we just... got a little lost."

Both fairies giggled to one another, looking between themselves. "Right?" The second nodded, pointing down the hallway they had come from. "Go back that way, take a right at the next split. It's all the way at the end. And the library is out the back, first left."

"R-right... Thanks for the directions." Kana pulled Meiko along, forcing the ghost to give another small bow, tilting her head slightly as well. "We'll be sure to remember this time. Don't let us keep you from your work."

Kana pulled Meiko along, nearly tripping the girl as they hurried along, eager to be away from the pair.

"Don't forget Lady Patchouli's tea!"

Along the hallway the fairies had come from, the lights were brighter, diminishing some of the darkness. Irritation gnawed at the back of the youkai's mind as the whole of the mansion began to stir. Sounds drifting in from split corridors, the light smell of cleaning supplies. Worst of all, the first turn lead into the mansion. There would be no windows to make an unseen escape from.

"I think I made a mistake. I think I made a big mistake."

The youkai bit her lip as the pair hurried along the long corridor, no longer trying to remember the way back. For now they just needed a place to hide.

"W-what are we going to do..?"

"I don't know! I need a minute to think." She nodded to her thoughts, pulling the ghost's hand as they reached the kitchen door. "They said the mansion had a library right? It'll has to have a closet or an adjacent room for sorting books. Something. We can duck in there, wait for a chance to run. It'll at least be safer than running through the halls or risk running into an occupied room."

Meiko nodded, pushing the door open slightly to take a peak. The kitchen was large, holding all the necessities one could need to keep a mansion going. She noticed a pair of teapots set on the stove, a low burn keeping the tea warm. "Are we going to take that lady her tea...?"

"... What?"

"The fairies... said some lady would want her tea... should we take it?"

"No!" Kana pressed her hand against her head, rubbing her temples firmly. "We need to leave without being caught, not turn ourselves in. Was there anyone in there?"

Meiko shook her head, cracking open the door for another peak. "I don't see anyone..."

"Right. That's the plan then. Find the library. Find a closet. Hide until things calm down, then we book it out. Ready?"

The ghost nodded her head, tensing up at the sudden situation. Meiko was afraid of running into danger, but took some comfort in the fact she wasn't alone. She grabbed the youkai's hand for a small amount of added comfort. "R-ready..."

"Then let's go. Stay close, and we'll get out of this just fine. I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

Tangled on a Red Thread

Kana and Meiko slipped quietly through the doors and into the spacious kitchen. Around them were the signs that it wasn't just a skeleton crew of maids working the night. Utensils set out on various counters. Flour dusted cutting boards, and a line of plates already held most of a meal.

"We need to hurry before the maids come back for dinner. Or breakfast. Whatever it is for these people." Kana shook her head, grabbing Meiko's hand. Just as she started, another softer smell stopped the youkai in her tracks. "Is that... is someone baking a _cake?_"

The youkai shook her head, dismissing the smells as she pulled Meiko through the Kitchen, careful not to disturb anything. They were already lucky enough to find the kitchen empty, the last thing they needed was to leave a trail.

"Hey, wait a second."

Kana flashed a smile before letting go of the ghost's hand, ducking into a side pantry.

"C-come on..." Meiko glanced back to the main entrance nervously. Her hands dropped to the hem of her skirt, fidgeting. "I thought... we didn't have time"

"Yeah, we don't." Kana reappeared from the side room, holding up a pair of apples. "So we just have to make do with these. You hungry?"

"I-I guess..."

"Then eat on the run." The youkai grabbed Meiko's hand, pulling roughly as they disappeared out the back door. As soon as the door closed behind the, another opened into the kitchen, a pair of fairy maids entered to check on preparations.

Kana let out a sigh of relief behind the back door as the fairies went about their work. "Close one. Alright, let's go."

The youkai let go of Meiko's hand, causally tossing the second apple behind her shoulder as she walked down the gloomy hall. "Straight down and to the first left, huh..."

Behind her, Meiko scrambled to catch the falling apple, nearly tripping over herself in the process. "Y-You didn't have to throw it..."

Kana laughed, shaking her head before taking a large bite from her apple. "You still caught it though, right?" The youkai shook her head again, strolling slowly down the hall. She took another bite, relishing the juicy flesh.

Meiko followed close behind, barely more than nibbling at the apple's skin. "D-do you think that lady owns this place..? The one in the library..."

"I doubt it. Those fairies didn't seem to want to come here if they were willing to pass the job to someone else. Wouldn't want to upset the master right?" Kana took another bite, letting out a small hum as she chewed. "Then again... they were fairies, so maybe."

"S-shouldn't we.. p-prepare..? For something..."

"For what, fighting off the entire staff and owner of the mansion? Meiko, I enjoy a good fight, not getting smothered in bullets from a dozen enemies. Told you, sneak in. Find a quiet place, wait for things to die down. Then we sneak back out, grab our dry clothes, and leave. Simple."

"I-if you say so..." The ghost fidgeted, rubbing the apple between her hands. She tried to steady herself as they reached the doors into the library, hesitant to go along with the simplicity of the youkai's plans. They were supposed to have just dried off and left, after all...

"Well, here goes nothing." Kana shrugged as she pushed her way through one of the doors and into the library, Meiko scrambling close behind.

Inside, a half-eaten apple fell to the ground, bouncing off the floor as the door shut behind them.

"My god..." The youkai staggered forward a single step, overwhelmed by the sight before the pair.

The library was massive, dim light throwing shadows across thousands of books. Every bookcase was triple the girl's height, row after row spaced all along the massive room. Books of all shapes and sizes were shelved tightly along each side, a seemingly endless stream of knowledge, hidden away in the mansion.

When the youkai managed to collect herself, she found that she had already walked to the shelf closest, her finger trailing down a book's spine. A few had recognizable symbols on their spines, most covered in dialects the youkai had never seen.

Kana bit her lip in frustration, stepping away from the shelf and letting her hand fall back to her side. Some of the books in front of her were blatantly magic, and the youkai had no intention of setting off a trap or alarm just to sate her curiosity.

"Whats going on, Kana... find something you like?" Meiko offered a smile, reaching up randomly for one of the books before them.

Kana's eyes went wide as the ghost placed her hand on the spine of a thickly spelled book. The youkai's hand quickly shot out, tightly gripping Meiko's wrist. "Don't touch that. Don't touch any of them. I don't know what is in them."

Meiko nodded quickly, sniffling as she struggled against the youkai's grip. "I won't... I won't... it hurts, Kana..."

The youkai recoiled from Meiko, letting go of her wrist. Kana hadn't even been aware she still held on to the girl's arm, let alone using her full strength. Something in the air was irritating the youkai, pushing her to be defensive.

Kana realized as she looked back to Meiko that her entire body vaguely hurt, her muscles slowly becoming stiff. She had been pulling on her reserves, actively holding on to her magic.

"S-sorry, Meiko..." the youkai offered a small bow, tentatively stepping forward. "Sorry... guess I'm still... a bit irritated at the teleport thing. Are you okay?"

Meiko nodded, sniffling as she rubbed her wrist with her free hand. It had hurt dearly, but the ghost was sure the youkai hadn't meant to from her reaction. "I-I'm okay... just stings a little... I won't touch anything, promise..."

Kana bit her lip in frustration, closing her eyes to focus as she forced out the magic her body had built up, letting it dissipate out. She let out a deep breath, trying to bring her control back in line. The youkai hesitated as she placed her hand on Meiko's shoulder, giving a soft squeeze. "I didn't... mean to hurt you. That one was just... magical. Heavily. I didn't want you to hurt yourself or set off an alarm."

Meiko offered a warm smile, nodding at the youkai's gentle touch. "It's okay Kana, I understand..." The ghost smiled as she stepped away from the shelf and its contents, holding her hands behind her back. "Didn't think it would be that heavy though..."

Kana tilted her head, looking back at Meiko in confusion. "What? No, I.. I meant..." The youkai gave an exasperated sigh, bringing her free hand up to rub her temples. "I said the book was heavily _magical_. It could be hexed, or cursed. I doubt there would be this many magical books and no security, so let's just... be careful, alright?"

Meiko nodded, shuffling closer her guardian. "I'll be more careful. Promise."

"Good. And stay quiet, we know someone else is in here. Lets go." The youkai turned and hurried away, only making sure Meiko was behind her. The irritation was gnawing at the back of her mind, making it hard to focus.

Shelves and books blurred together as the pair walked deeper into the library, the youkai barely able to stay aware of her surroundings. Titles and glyphs blurred together as Kana fought her internal battle to calm herself down.

"Kana..."

The youkai bit her lip, her mind reeling. Something about the mansion disturbed her to the core, but she couldn't figure out what. It wasn't the fairies from before, but she'd only become more on edge the deeper in they went.

"K-Kana..!"

The youkai stopped in her tracks as a hand gripped her own, turning suddenly, power coalescing in her palm.

"We missed the door..."

The only one behind her was Meiko, tugging lightly at the youkai's hand.

"There was a door back there... I tried to get your attention..."

Kana nodded, sighing heavily as the half-formed bullet melted away into the shadows of the library. "Just... give me a minute. It's a bit... dusty. Starting to get a headache."

Meiko smiled brightly, giving a small bow as she stepped away, keeping lookout for her friend. Kana merely shook her head, pressing her head against her palms. If nothing else, watching the ghost run around the mansion in a maid uniform had been amusing.

"Alright..." Kana stood up, taking in a deep breath, breathing out slowly. Whatever had her on edge could wait. First they needed to find a place to hide. "Where was this door?"  
"Back this way..." Meiko grabbed Kana's hand as the ghost lead them back to the door she'd found. The door was thick and reinforced, but not unmanageable. The youkai snickered as she wedged the door open for them, her irritable state made it easy to call up most of her strength.

"Lets see what we've found then..." Kana hurried Meiko through the door, pulling it mostly shut behind her. "Now then, where are we..."

A few books lay scattered about the other side of the door, low-burning torches providing little in the way of light. While Kana found the murky gloom comforting, Meiko had trouble seeing much beyond their immediate area. "D-do you see anything...?"

"No." Kana bit her lip, fingers tapping at her chin in thought as she stared ahead. "Just seems to go down." She walked forwards, enough to find a descending staircase, and mumbled out-loud in thought. "Storage? Another level to the library..?"

Every step brought a little more irritation to the youkai's mind, frustrating her more as she tried to focus. "Meiko, do you feel anything? At all?"  
"N-no... should I..?" The girl shuffled around the dark passage, keeping one hand against the cold stone wall of the passage. "N-nothing going to touch my leg... right...?"

Kana sighed, waving the ghost forwards. "Meiko we're in a house, not the lake. Nothings going to slither up and touch you." The youkai bit back her laughter as Meiko shivered in the dark, cautiously looking around. She'd remember that one, if the time ever came to play a prank on the ghost.

The pair traveled slowly through the dark corridor. Meiko had thought the youkai was being thoughtful and slowing her pace, letting the ghost travel the dark at her own speed. In truth, the youkai was keeping her distance to hide. Half-way down the stairs her breathing was becoming ragged. Her body becoming bogged down with tension.

"We... should leave..." Kana swallowed as she tried to collect her breath, closing her eyes. Maybe one of books had been cursed to touch after all. "This doesn't feel... right."

"I told you we shouldn't have broken in..." Meiko took a step closer, placing her hand on the youkai's shoulder. "Are you alright, Kana?"

"How are _you_ alright!?" Kana slumped against the wall. For the first time in her life, the youkai felt like she would be smothered by the shadows, stuck under the mansion forever. Kana sighed heavily, opening her mouth to retort. A third voice rang out cheerfully from the darkness, causing both girls to freeze.

"Ah! Is it already time for dinner?"

A smaller girl stepped from the darkness, walking lightly towards the pair. Meiko reflexively took a step back, afraid their cover was blown. Kana slowly turned and meet the newcomers gaze, and the youkai's heart nearly stopped.

She was slightly smaller than the two, a thin build and golden hair, tied to the left side in a ponytail. She wore a pink shirt under a red vest and matching red skirt, a yellow ascot. Behind the girl, the youkai could make out the glittering reflections of light just beyond her body. Her eyes were a deep, scarlet red, and a window to her true characteristic.

Power.

Kana's breath caught as she tried to back away. To run. To fight. The youkai's body shook in terror, drowning in the vast gulf of difference. This was the reason for her headache, the gnawing irritation in the back of her head. Instinct warning her, death was approaching.

"N-n-no... not yet..." Meiko forced herself to take a step closer to Kana, her eyes being drawn over to the youkai's trembling form. "W-we.. g-got lost... right..?"

Kana gave the smallest of nods, not daring to looking away for even a moment. She tried to scream, but no sound came to her. The youkai couldn't even manifest her natural power, darkness dissipating as her concentration becomes more fragmented and shot. "I-I'm sorry..."

Meiko nodded, bowing deeply before grabbing a hold of the youkai, pulling roughly. "Y-yeah... w-we're sorry to disturb, w-we'll be right back with... with dinner... a-and tea too!" The ghost began to pull roughly, finally taking note of the youkai's reaction.

"Well... alright I guess. Ah, but you two don't look like fairies. I have some toys here, do you want to play a game before having to leave?"

"W-what kind... of game?" Meiko trembled as she fell against the wall, trembling as she weakly pulled against the youkai's form.

"The danmaku game!" The girl excitedly called out her game of choice, the thick metal door above slowly scraping open above them.

The youkai's body trembled, desperately trying to lift from the ground. She would be an easy target on the ground, but the youkai couldn't concentrate enough to pull her body away from the game. She could barely hold on to one of her few spell cards, let alone invoke its full power.

Another figure descended behind them, calling out before any spells could be invoked, both placating and with finality, "That'll be enough, Young Miss. Milady would like a with the uninvited guests." A maid in blue-and-white stood behind them, standing tall over the three, silver hair braided on either side of her face. "I'll have some tea and sweets sent down in a moment, after dealing with these two."

The youkai's body gave out, collapsing to the ground next to Meiko, her head spinning as she tried to think of any way out. This was far worse than a monster's den, they'd broken into a devil's lair.

"You two. Come with me."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

Snared by a Red Web

"Okay..." The golden-haired girl's shoulders slumped, her disappointment clearly displayed. She sighed lightly, turning to return from where she had snuck out on the pair from.

As Kana forced herself back to her feet, the youkai stole another glance at the girl's fleeting form. The lights from before came from the scant light reflected off colored crystals, hung off what appeared like black, wiry wings.

The youkai shook her head, body reflexively trembling as she forced herself to look away. It bothered the girl to not be able to see such a threat, but that would have to wait. The taller girl with silver hair stood waiting.

"I take it you're the head maid?" The youkai sighed as she stumbled, grabbing hold of Meiko to help steady herself. Kana took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out to bring her breathing back in line. Her heart still hammered and her body ached with unspent adrenalin and magic, but that could be dealt with later.

Kana wasn't sure if being on edge before meeting 'milady' would help or not, if a fight broke out. The youkai slowly calmed the more the trio ascended from the smothering basement, using Meiko as less of a crutch the higher up they went.

"I am. Are you two finished sneaking around like rats, or did you plan on causing more trouble?" The head maid stopped as the pair returned to the library, pushing the reinforced door shut behind them.

"I-If we say we are... can we leave?" Meiko glanced around the gloomy library, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. The ghost couldn't stand to look the taller girl in the eye, having been caught sneaking around in a stranger's home.

"Of course not. The mistress of the mansion has instructed me to find and bring back our uninvited guests." A flash of silver accompanied the maid's words, and the youkai thought for a moment she had seen the shape of a knife. "Although if you attempt to escape, I may have to cut you down instead."

Meiko gave a nervous laugh as she slid closer to Kana, this time leaning on the youkai for support. "W-we won't do that... a-a-absolutely not... r-right Kana?"  
"Yeah, there are barely any windows. I'm sure I could escape by running back... down there." The youkai's body slumped at the thought, though her voice continued thick with contempt. The two found themselves trapped and had no easy way out, but she wouldn't surrender any more of her pride. "Let's get this over with, don't want to keep 'milady' waiting."

The head maid shot the youkai a cold glance before turning away and motioning for the pair to follow. "We seem to have to have a problem with the uninvited coming in recently. This way."

Kana smoldered as they followed the maid, glaring at the taller girl's back. Meiko followed close behind, constantly fidgeting with her skirt, eyes darting around the dark hallways.

"You should calm down, this isn't too bad yet."

"H-how can I be calm?! K-Kana... whats going to happen..."

"You worry too much. Come on, if they were going to kill us, they'd have done it by now. Why go meet the owner of this place."

Meiko visibly calmed, letting out a small breath as she stepped closer to the youkai, gripping the back of the girl's skirt for comfort. "Y-you... really believe that?"  
"Nah, I've been wrong a lot tonight. But hey, if are going to die it's not like I can do anything. Why worry."

Meiko's only answered was a panicked squeal, grabbing the youkai's shoulders from behind and shaking the girl in fear. Kana had to bite her lip to stifle her laugh as the pair continued after the maid. If they were going to die, she could at least tease the ghost a few more times for a good laugh before that.

The three rounded the last corner and came to a grand entryway, thick wooden doors and a scant pair of windows to either side marked the entrance to the mansion. Outside the rain still poured, but it looked like the severity of the storm had died down. Around the room fairy maids chattered, polishing glass or vases set up around the room.

"I wouldn't try to run. You will never have the time to make it outside."

"You know, the more you keep saying that, the more you tempt me into trying." The youkai smirked as she looked between the silver-haired maid and windows blocking her way to freedom. The fairies wouldn't be a problem, and the youkai doubted the maid could see through total darkness.

Kana sighed heavily as she looked away from the door, motioning for the maid to lead them on. There was no way she would be able to get the ghost out of the mansion in time. The youkai couldn't manifest a large enough sphere of darkness or maintain it long enough for the slower girl to run out, and she had made a promise.

"This way." The head maid spoke curtly, directing the pair up the wide staircase to the second floor, leading the pair only a short way to an ordinary looking door. The youkai sighed as she cracked her fingers, readying herself to pull a spellcard if the need arose.

She could feel it again, a dull aching tension in her body building the closer they got. Whoever owned the mansion was powerful, but Kana found herself thankful it wasn't as strong as the one they had seen in the basement.

The maid knocked carefully on the white, ordinary door. The youkai's shoulders slumped when the voice that answered was too similar to the girl's from the basement for her liking.

"Sakuya? Bring them in."

Kana let out a deep breath to steady herself, squeezing Meiko's arm once as the door opened. Walking in, the youkai felt her stomach drop and finally pieced together what she had stumbled on to.

The mistress of the mansion was shorter than either girl, just slightly taller than the one they'd met in the basement before. She had light blue hair under a pink cap with red ribbon on the right side. Her dress was the same light pink with red trimmings, and a large bow behind her waist.

The most striking details to the youaki, though, were the red eyes and pair of large, bat-like wings coming from the girl's back. The power difference and feel for the power clicked for Kana, both the girl in front of them and from down below. She had never met one before, let alone two, and found herself wishing that number could go back to zero.

Vampires.

Kana glanced to her side, looking at Meiko as they were led into the room. The youkai decided against telling the ghost what they had just gone up against. She had to suppress a sigh just thinking about how to deal with the ghost's outburst.

"Come in, have a seat." The vampire welcomed them warmly, motioning for the pair to take a seat across the table from her, "Why not have some tea?"

"O-Okay... This isn't what I was expecting." The youkai slowly slide into her chair, motioning for Meiko to do the same. "Not really the reception we thought was coming."

"Well we couldn't ruin the Scarlet Devil Mansions reputation for hospitality, could we Sakuya?"

The head maid, Sakuya, replied as she prepared the tea to serve, placing the porcelain cups on their coasters. "Of course not, Mistress. That would be a truly awful thing."

The youkai tilted her head as the maid spoke. She felt like it was her imagination, but it seemed as if the head maid was merely playing along and didn't quite believe what she was agreeing to.

"Still, the last time we had a pair of someones break in, they decided to mess up my wonderful mansion and cause an uproar, so why not try a different approach. And all because I just wanted to block out the sun for awhile."

"Well, that actually sounds pretty nice." The youkai perked up at the news the sun was at least partly subdued. She wished that she had been around during the day to experience it. "But we didn't break in. Uhm, well kind of. We snuck in. Again, kind of. It's a long story."

"Well? The night is still young. And I doubt the likes of you could have trashed the place much anyways."

"Oi!" Kana jumped to attention at the slight, slamming her fist on the table, "Are you trying to pick a fight, shorty?" Meiko sighed and hid her face in her hands. At least the youkai was feeling better from before, but the ghost dearly wished she would have used a little more tact...

"S-Sh- You!" The youkai bit her lip as the vampire became more and more flustered, at a loss for words. It wouldn't do to provoke such an individual by outright laughing at the outburst. "Do you have any idea who I am!"

The youkai shrugged, trying her hardest to seem disinterested. "Well you own the place and called it the 'Scarlet Devil Mansion.' I take you must be the so-called Scarlet Devil then?"

"Of course." The vampire huffed, crossing her arms. To the side, the head maid finished serving the tea, as though nothing were out of the ordinary. "And you'd do well to remember that!"

"Of course 'Milady', we wouldn't think of slighting the owner of such an impressive mansion more than once." Kana bit her lip harder, struggling to contain another laugh as she bent to her side, whispering as softly as she could into the ghost's ear. "Called it. Told you the owner would be a megalomaniac."

This time Meiko was the one to bite her lip, shaking as she fought to hold in a nervous laugh. "So, you were asking how we got in?"

"What?" The vampire blinked once as she thought back before waving her hand for the youkai to continue. "Yes, right, why did you break in to the mansion? What were you trying to gain by snooping around?"

"Well, we broke in because it was raining. As for running around, I was just bored waiting for our clothes to dry." Kana shrugged as she spoke, stating everything as a flat fact.

"A-ah...t-that's not all..." Meiko butted in as soon as the youkai finished, noticing the smaller girl's forming scowl at the youkai's less than stellar explanation. "We were... were... uhm... somewhere... not here but here... I-I think... and then we got attacked and ended up here... in the rain and mud outside... W-we didn't mean anything bad, just needed a place to dry off."

"Why didn't you just knock on the front door?" Sakuya stood next to the vampire, slightly behind her chair as she spoke.

"Come on, who'd open the door in the middle of the night for a dead girl and a youkai?"

The vampire merely raised an eyebrow, her shoulders slightly flexing as her wings rose up higher for display.

"I didn't know that at the time!" The youkai put her head against her palm, sighing heavily. "Look, we don't know what happened. There was a shift and we were in some weird place. Then we got shifted back here next to the house. In the rain and mud." Kana sighed again as she looked back up, shrugging to the owner of the mansion. "So I decided to sneak in and dry off. Warm up."

The head maid frowned, looking straight at the youkai. "Steal something to eat?"

"I- What?"

For her answer, the maid simply held up a half eaten apple. Kana stared at the thing for a moment before realization hit her. The same apple she had dropped when they discovered the library. "I didn't pick it back up..."

"So you admit to stealing?"

"_Two_ apples! I didn't take or touch anything else."

Sakuya stared at the youkai, disbelief clear on her face.

"Look, if I was going to steal food, I'd have snatched those sweets and run with it. I just wanted something for us. We haven't had anything to eat in a while."

The vampire stared at the youkai before looking back to the ghost. "Are you sure that's all?"

"W-What..?"

"Is that all, or was there more to that strange place?"

Meiko found herself withering under the smaller girl's stare, unable to take much before looking away defeated. "I-I don't know.. something about.. b-breach... or something... it happened fast and then we were gone..."

Kana fell back in her chair, slumping down. "Why not tell her everything from the past couple days? I beat up some fairies at danmaku. Woo, big freaking accomplishment. All it said was 'containment breach', and then we were gone."

"So, you don't think you let something in there out?"

The youkai merely shrugged. "What if we did? There wasn't anything there when we got kicked out. So what if something got out, it didn't follow us back."

The vampire stood, stretching out as she looked to the two with a dark smile. "Alright then. I suppose I could forgive you for breaking in to my beloved mansion... but only if you do me a favor."

Meiko was about to speak when Kana cut her off, pushing the ghost back into her chair. "_One_ favor, and I'll only agree after hearing it."

The scarlet devil laughed, smirking at the upstart. "Oh, you're in no position to refuse. Don't worry, it's simple really. I just want you to go to the Forest of Magic. There's someone there who keeps sneaking in to steal books from our library. I simply want you to return them."

"That's all?"

"That's all. Really, you should be more trusting." The vampire shrugged, stepping away from the table and to the only window of the room, looking out into the night sky. "What a lovely night, I think I'll pay a friend a visit..."

"Fine." The youkai scowled at being ignored, huffing as she crossed her arms. "We'll bring your books back. Then we're even."

"So glad we could come to an agreement! Oh, but before you think about running away, I'll have a nice chat with Reimu. I'm sure she'd love to hear about this new incident you created."

Kana's face immediately turned pale at the mention of the Hakurei shrine maiden's name. She swallowed as she turned, letting out a small nervous laugh in response. "Y-You wouldn't do that. I-It's not even an incident! Just... just a thing that... happened."

"Just a thing." The vampire laughed as she opened the window, taking in the fresh night air. "I'm sure she'll believe that when she comes to visit."

"N-No! We're not... I'm not... backing out. You have my word, so don't tell the shrine maiden. I'm in no hurry to die, but..."

"But?"

"I... I promised Meiko I'd see her to the human village. To see if anyone remembers her... that's all. I'll do what you want, but let me deal with one promise at a time."

The smaller girl scowled, before noticing how much the youkai had begun to shuffle around nervously, gripping her own arm tightly. "Very well, I suppose. Don't keep me waiting."

Kana gave a sigh of relief, turning to give a smile to Meiko. The ghost had remained sitting, and was the only one who'd taken her tea to drink. Meiko returned the smile when the vampire's voice came once again.

"Oh, before I forget..." She turned to look to both girls, smiling darkly. "You seem to have taken a couple of our maid's outfits, and if I remember right, Sakuya told me of a few of those promises. Tea and sweets, I believe, to Patchouli and my sister?"

"She was your sister?!" Kana's body tensed, biting her lip as the head maid nodded. She didn't like where this was going.

"Well, you seem so set on keeping your word and stealing clothes, I suppose we could do with two new servants for the night."

"C-can I resign?"

"Rejected." The head maid spoke flatly, completely denying the youkai's request.

"Do see to it you keep your word. I'll have Sakuya tell me if you try to skip your duties. And since you seem to be more skilled than the fairies around here... try to keep my sister entertained."

Kana's shoulders slumped, her knees hitting as she barely prevented herself from collapsing. She could barely believe what was happening, stuck between two worst case scenarios. Horrible death by vampire, or horrible death by shrine maiden youkai-extermination. For the first time in the conversation, the youkai had nothing to retort with, her bravado shattered. The power the youkai had been saving since they escaped from the basement dissipated as she fell. She'd been played perfectly without ever having the chance to escape or fight.

The vampire who had pulled their strings so well turned once more to her servant. "Make sure they don't die, will you Sakuya?"

The girl merely went about her duties tidying up the room as her mistress readied herself to leave, speaking over her shoulder. "Please don't saddle me with such a difficult request."

A laugh was the only answer as the vampire spread her wings once, stretching out. "Looks like it will be a fun night after all." Without a further word, the vampire was gone, out into the clear skies and bright moonlight, leaving the pair to the hole they'd dug.

It was going to be a long night.


End file.
